The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Consort Xi was initially displeased to see Qingying rushing over, but upon seeing this scene, her eyes suddenly lit up.

With a slight twitch of her lips, she immediately gave a wink to the eunuch beside her.

The eunuch immediately understood, stepped forward, and shrieked, "The Fourth Prince has chosen Lady Fucha as his primary consort—"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Qingying, standing at the door, suddenly stopped in her tracks, her face filled with disbelief.

Hongli panicked. He looked at Qingying, then at the jade ruyi in Ruofu's hand, and subconsciously reached out to snatch back the jade ruyi that had already been given away.

If Ruo Fu calmly and effortlessly dodged, that hand would freeze in mid-air.

Hongli's expression immediately turned even more unpleasant.

Consort Xi almost laughed at the scene and quickly said, "Qingying is here."

Qingying then came to her senses and slowly stepped forward. She first glanced at the jade ruyi tightly held in Ruofu's hand, then looked at the bewildered Hongli, and finally curtsied: "Greetings to Consort Xi. I am late, please forgive me. I... was invited to help my brother Hongli with his examination, but I was delayed on the way and arrived a step late."

Ruo Fu looked down at the jade ruyi in his hand and almost burst out laughing.

Appraiser?

Choosing a primary consort for a prince, especially one who already has a mother, and with so many imperial consorts and noblewomen around, she, a mere princess from the Ulanara family, is here to help the prince.

The smile on Consort Xi's face faded slightly, and her voice also became colder: "Well, you've come at just the right time. He has already chosen his primary consort, but not his secondary consort. Since you're here, you might as well help him take a look. Someone, bring a seat for Princess Qingying."

Fu Jia responded with a "yes" and was about to lead Qing Ying to where the noblewomen were sitting when Qing Ying seemed not to see her at all. She slowly got up, glanced at Hong Li with a faint look, and walked straight to the end of the procession of imperial concubines, where she stood quietly.

The hall grew even quieter, with only the wives and noblewomen exchanging lively glances in silence.

The smile on Consort Xi's face was about to fade.

Hongli could hardly hide the struggle on his face. He clenched his fist and finally couldn't help but step forward: "Mother, now that Qingying is here, can we hold the selection again?"

Consort Xi's face darkened completely.

"The auspicious time has already passed, and making any further changes would be unlucky! Since things have come to this, we should just move on."

Hongli wanted to argue further: "But..."

"Does the Fourth Prince mean to take back my jade ruyi and then give it to someone else?"

If Fu suddenly spoke.

Hongli paused, and Ruofu looked at him with clear, bright eyes: "So, the talent show just now, and even this Bingyu Ruyi in my hand, are completely meaningless?"

Faced with her gaze, Hongli was speechless for a moment, and could only mumble, "Not everyone arrived just now."

Rufu nodded.

"I see." She turned to look at Qingying, her smile growing even gentler. "So you're waiting for this Princess Qingying? But she said she's here to give you her opinion... Could it be that anyone who wants to become the Fourth Prince's primary consort must first get her approval?"

Qingying was taken aback, blinked, as if she didn't understand.

Ruofu continued, "Then, Princess, please come forward and stand with the Fourth Prince so he can carefully examine us and see if we meet his standards. Since you're here to assess us, don't just stand motionless at the back of the line. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're also a candidate for the imperial concubine selection. And the Fourth Prince's preferred choice for his primary consort is precisely you. It's just that because you arrived a little late, he was afraid of losing face, so he hurriedly brought me here to fill in."

Qingying and Hongli's faces turned deathly pale almost simultaneously.

Consort Xi felt as if the turbid air in her chest had been instantly expelled, while at the same time she was worried and anxious about Fucha's behavior.

Gao Xiyue stood not far away, her eyes lowered as she suppressed a laugh.

Qingying remained standing still, but dared not pretend that she did not understand anymore, and could only look helplessly at Hongli.

Hongli's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, as if he wanted to say something for her, but Ruofu directly stepped out of the group, holding the jade ruyi, and slowly walked to Qingying.

"Princess Qingying, hurry up and begin your assessment!"

Ruo Fu smiled and handed the jade ruyi forward: "Don't look at the others. Let's see if I, the one chosen as the primary consort in the first round, am qualified. If I'm not qualified, then choose someone better than me on the spot. It would be best if you could explain why, so I know where the other sisters are better than me and where I am lacking."

"I can't be demoted from wife to concubine without any reason!"

"After all, I can bear such humiliation, but the Fucha family behind me cannot."

The breath caught in everyone's throat.

Ruo Fu remained unmoved, even pushing the jade ruyi half an inch closer to Qing Ying: "But if he has already decided on you in his heart, and is only using me as a substitute, to tease me, and to make me suffer the humiliation of being demoted from wife to concubine, then I absolutely cannot participate in this selection!"

"Tell me quickly, and I'll decide quickly. Whether I stay or leave is entirely up to you."

After saying that, she turned to look at Hongli: "Is that what you mean, Fourth Prince?"

Qingying looked at the jade ruyi in front of her, her fingers trembling slightly as she hid them in her sleeve, but she didn't dare to reach out.

She could only look innocently at Hongli once again.

Hongli looked at Lady Fucha in front of him, his chest heaving.

In his eyes, she was just a gentle and dignified woman, suitable for the position of primary wife. But at this moment, her gentle eyes suddenly turned sharp.

She was using the Fucha family behind her to blackmail him.

How dare she!

Hongli frowned and remained silent for a long time.

Just then, a voice outside suddenly announced something.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Everyone in the hall was startled and immediately knelt down to pay their respects.

Ruofu also knelt down, but couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Well, well."

Now everyone is present.

When Emperor Yongzheng entered, his gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on Hongli, who was kneeling in the middle.

No need for formalities.

Everyone thanked them and stood up.

As soon as Yongzheng sat down, he asked, "Has the choice of Hongli's primary consort been made?"

Consort Xi hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it has been decided. She is the daughter of Li Rongbao, the former governor of Chahar, of the Fuca clan."

Yongzheng accurately located Ruofu holding the jade ruyi in the crowd and nodded slightly: "Very good."

Consort Xi felt a slight sense of relief.

But the next moment, the emperor asked, "And what about the concubine?"

Consort Xi replied, "The selection is still underway."

Yongzheng said calmly, "Then let's continue."

The crowd agreed.

But the emperor's gaze soon fell on Qingying, who was standing at the end of the line.

He frowned slightly, and his tone turned cold: "Qingying doesn't need to participate in the selection. The Empress has made a mistake and has been confined to Jingren Palace; she will not be allowed to leave unless she dies. Qingying, go home."